Watching this 2 hour 15 minutes documentary on Transformers 2 reminded me how torn I am on Bay as an artist, a filmmaker. He brings spectacular set-pieces to the screen and delivers some of the best audiovisual stylization in the blockbuster stratosphere. He demands a lot, is extremely difficult to work with but knows exactly what he wants, and everyone is in awe of his workflow.
At the same time, he is a bit of an idiot in how he gives off a toxic masculinity vibe and how disgusting his racist, misogynistic and jingoistic textual ideas are. He embodies the stereotypical american ignoramus cliche.
So if you want to get a general feel for how Bay operates, definitely check this out. It's fascinating as it covers the whole production from beginning to premiere. A bit too much self-indulgence and too many corporate puppets speaking about the toy and cars, and a horrible propaganda chapter about the military literally using these films for recruitment. But thats also what makes this such an interesting document, flawed and fascinating, just as the man himself.
